Survey: do you think clowns are SCARY?

So remember I said that I was going to be a Goldfish in the Santa Claus Parade? Well, yesterday the Santa Claus Parade people called yesterday and said that I've been reassigned to be a "Greeter Clown."

I'm assuming this ISN'T one of the upside-down clowns, but one of the clowns who walk along the side of the road and say hello to the people along the sidelines. In either case, I'm pretty pleased.

Say, this probably means I get CLOWN MAKEUP put on me! And maybe CLOWN HAIR!

Which got me thinking about clowns. I've always found clowns to be sort of creepy, even before Stephen King's IT. What about the rest of you?

Hopefully I won't make any kids scream this Sunday.

Thanks so much for your comments on my Goodstuff post. I'll do a follow-up soon.

Goodstuff

I've been doing more thinking recently about the kinds of people I'm drawn to. They tend to be positive, benevolent personalities: the "half-full instead of half-empty" types, who assume the best about people instead of the worst.

As I get older, I do a lot more introspecting about the kind of person I am and the kind I want to be. I've also learned a great deal about myself, both positive and negative. I find, for instance, that I tend to obsess about stupid stuff I can't do anything about.

Like a rude stranger on the public transit, or a frustrating interaction with a company's so-called support staff. And it's so easy to let a single negative encounter affect one's whole day, or even outlook on aspects of life -- assuming the worst about everyone and everything.

Sometimes I'll run into people whose conversations consist mostly of complaints. Some are so used to complaining that they don't realize how much they're doing it, the negativestuff woven so thoroughly into their day-to-day thinking.

Everyone needs a good rant now and then, but I try very hard to pull myself out of that energy-sucking quagmire. It sounds corny and cliched, but I do find that trying to focus on the positive is better for the soul. Sometimes it may seem easier to let myself wallow in a bad mood, but the effort it takes to get myself out of that dangerous rut is always worth it.

If a stranger ticks me off (the rude clerk, for example) and there's nothing I can do about it, then I make the effort to try thinking about something else. Something positive. Calling a good friend to chat almost always helps, or playing some music, or doodling (my equivalent of finger painting).

Another way I cope: try not to hang out with negative people too much -- I do find that the negativity starts rubbing off, colouring the way I see the world.

Yes, I may be unrealistically idealistic and optimistic compared to most people. From experiences in my life, I know that bad things happen to good people. But as far as I'm concerned, the goodstuff still outweighs the bad, and I don't want to waste the former by obsessing about the latter.

A good self-test which I put myself through on a regular basis: monitor yourself in a day-to-day conversation with a friend or co-worker, and notice how many times you say something negative. By negative, I mean anything that is basically a complaint about someone or a company, a little dig at someone's habits or personality, backhanded compliments that are actually criticism. Or even negative comments about yourself.

Nothing wrong with a negative comment in itself, but there's a world of difference between constructive criticism and a never-ending bitchwhinefest.

There's too much good in the world to waste emotional energy focusing on the bad.

Also see my Scrooge Moments post.

Tea Rituals

My tea cravings changes with the seasons and more often than not, with the day as well. Today was a Lapsang Souchong day. I took a mug down to my office and cupped my hands around the heat; the taste brings memories of smoky campfires and a moonlit lake, sparks wafting up in the darkness.

New painting: Companion

Just posted a new painting in my Etsy shop: Companion, an 8"x8"x3/4" acrylics painting on stretched canvas. The sides are painted, so you don't need a frame. Speaking of Etsy, I've sold out of some of my Blush cards, but have ordered more. I also just got word that a Canadian distributor has signed a deal with Blush to distribute their cards, yay!

Up to now, my cards have mainly been sold in the UK, Japan and Australia. It would be nice to start seeing them in local stores. :-)

Anyway, I'll be posting some buttons, mini-paintings and pottery in my Etsy shop soon...it's just a matter of making the time to do the admin involved in posting listings. I'm continuing to enjoy being an Etsy seller. I recently joined Alchemy (custom item program) and got my first Alchemy commission this past weekend.

Some Christmas cards I ordered from my Snarkface Zazzle shop arrived yesterday, and am very happy with the quality -- both the print and the cardstock. I'm going to donate a bunch of them to the National Cartoonists Society (Canadian chapter) holiday party raffle later this month, I think.

It's not too late to order your holiday cards from my shop! Do check out Snarkface. Get 25% off when ordering 10 or more cards, and free shipping if you order $65 or more; see the text at the top of the Snarkface page for details.

Visiting Erin and Rand

I had a wonderful time visiting with Erin and Rand in Buffalo. I also got a ton of work done. :-) During the day, I worked on my laptop at Rand's library.



It's in a gorgeous area, and is steps away from a great little cafe / restaurant. The cafe people noticed how regularly I was dropping by and asked if I went to the college nearby. When I said I was visiting Rand, they said, "You know Rand? Oh, we LOVE Rand!"

I also got to see Rand in his new office:



I love Rand's library. It's well-lit, quiet, well-organized, clean, comfortable and has lots of power outlets. Plus a cute Library Director, of course.

We had lunch with Thomas Woods, whom I hadn't seen since he was the emcee for Rand's and Erin's wedding. Thomas is doing more web design, by the way, so be sure to check out his webpage.



Visited Don's Atomic Comics, where I bought the newest Flight: Volume Five and admired Don's impressive tattoo art.



I got to see Erin's and Rand's new house. Wonderful place with lots of natural light...and a fireplace! We spent one cozy night in front of the fire, watching some episodes of West Wing (which I had never seen before but loved).



I said hi to my old friend, Chunky Rice:



And admired some of their fridge magnets:



Rand bought the little photo of Jeff Bohnhoff as an infant at an Interfilk auction a while back. Heh. >:-)

John Kalisz came over to visit, and we all sampled some FANTASTIC ice cream that Erin and Rand had picked up in Ohio: Graeter's Ice Cream. My favourite flavour was the pumpkin, but the Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip was also to die for. I don't understand how they managed to keep the chocolate chips (big chunks of chocolate, not just chips) soft -- the chocolate bits in most ice cream is frozen.



One of my visit highlights was Erin's baking and cooking. Her homemade bread, for instance:



She also made pizza from scratch:



It turned out wonderfully, despite Rand's (frequent) attempts to distract her:



We also did some music together (I had my flute with me), going through both new and old songs. I especially loved hearing Erin and Rand sing together! Hopefully they'll do more of that at FilKONtario.



I opted to take the train there and back. I used to take the bus, but I find the train way more comfortable and less of a hassle. It takes longer at the Canada-U.S. border, but at least I could stay in my seat and keep working on my laptop instead of unloading all my luggage and waiting in line at customs. Plus there were power outlets at every seat!



Many thanks to Erin and Rand for being such fantastic hosts. It was great to see both of them again.